Dear Editor,
I wish to refer to a letter in SN October 14, 2008 captioned `Dumping of garbage has reached unprecedented proportions.’ We do share the concerns of Mr. Vincent Ferreira.
However, it is public knowledge that the City Council is doing everything possible within the scope of its financial and human resources to ensure that the city is kept in an environmentally friendly state. But citizens must help because they have a responsibility to protect and sustain the health of the environment. Without their support our effort would go to waste.
All of the stuff in drains and on parapets are dumped by citizens who seem not to really care about the health of the environment. This is so wrong and should not be tolerated by the citizens.
The council expends about one million dollars ($1M) on collection and disposal of garbage per day. The collection area extends from Cummings Lodge to Agricola. A system of routine collection is employed in every section. For the more commercial areas collection of waste is done once daily. For the less commercial ones collection is done once weekly. A recent refuse receptacle campaign resulted in 500 persons taken before the court for absence of refuse receptacles. The act of wanton disposal of refuse has become a serious source of concern. It signals a lack of discipline in many areas of our society.
We have had some businesses that assisted in this effort to keep Georgetown litter free. Nevertheless, there are those who contribute to the situation. Some business-owners hire junkies to throw their waste around. This attitude is quite unacceptable. It has no place in this City of Georgetown.
Yours faithfully,
Royston King
Public Relations Officer,
Mayor and City Council
